Vila Velha (‘Old City’) is the oldest city and former capital of the state of Espírito Santo. The city is located 12 km south of Vitória. One of the main sightings in Vila Velha is Convento da Penha. The convent, founded in 1558 is located on top of a 154 m high mountain that is still covered with remains of the once widespread present Atlantic forest. There are two ways to the top and the convent: a paved path – with many stairs – for pedestrians only, and a paved road that is also accessible for motorized traffic. From the convent, one may be amazed by breathtaking views of the entire city of Vila Velha, the city of Vitória, the bridge connecting both cities, and the Atlantic Ocean. From this barred window, the city of Vila Velha can be seen, with the focus on Praia da Costa Beach, which is flanked by numerous hotels and towers.

It is not easy to find a large spider posing for you. Therefore, I was very lucky to picture this spider in Parque Mangabeiras, the largest municipal park in Belo Horizonte. The cobblestone trails are flanked by natural walls of earth, grown by small plants and held together by numerous roots. At a closer look, one may observe various little holes in the earthen wall; some of them are covered by a dense grayish white web. There I found this large spider. It was not located in the center of a web, but it was standing on front of a hole waiting for its preys. Since it was positioned in front of a dark hole, I had to use the flash. As a result the dark eyes turned into green, like a special type of an alien.

On a sunny Saturday in November, this little girl was taking some rest, while sucking on her pacifier, at Praça da Liberdade in Belo Horizonte. She must have been playing a lot on her little plastic drum. That day, a big parade was going on, in memory of the death of Zumbi dos Palmares on 20 November 1695. Late seventeenth century, Zumbi was the leader of a quilombo –a refugee site of free slaves and slaves on the run – and had become as the symbol of African resistance against Portuguese dominance. Betrayal resulted in his capture and death. The day is now known as the day of Afro-Brazilian awareness, and has become a holiday in many Brazilian municipalities. But not in Belo Horizonte. The little girl took part of a large percussionist group, composed of adults and children, from the countryside of Minas Gerais.

Early 2007, my faithful Sony camera failed to work, and I had to buy a new one: a Canon. In March 2007, I visited various parks in Belo Horizonte in order to test my camera. I went to the Municipal Park, Mangabeiras Park, the local Zoo and Botanical Garden, and the Ecological Park. The latter is located near the Zoo, and is part of Lake Pampulha, the large artificial lake not far from the Mineirão soccer stadium. Parque Ecológico hosts a variety of trees, plants, flowers, and animals. A large part is an ecological reserve, and only accessible for scientists, or by appointment. The smaller part is publicly accessible, from Thursday through Sunday. Many families enjoy their time by walking, cycling, playing with kites, or playing soccer. Others, like me, prefer to look around for natural beauties. Like this flower with numerous white thin threads that caught my attention.

Parque Pedra de Cebola, to be translated as the Onion Stone Park, is located near Camburi Beach, in the city of Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo. The park is named after the onion-shaped giant stone, and attracts many visitors during the weekends and holidays. They not only visit the stone, but also will enjoy the bright colors of many plant and flower species, and the presence of a small number of animals. For sure, these turtles gain a lot of attention from many visitors. But they appear not to be much interested in the human species. They live their own, slow way of life: they sleep a lot, move around, eat their daily meals, swim around, and sunbathe groupwise. Because of the small size of their stone beach, they have to share the tine space with each other. For them it is no problem to lie down on each other.

Imagine this green landscape without the hills at the horizon, and you may consider yourself in a typical Dutch polder landscape. Lush green meadows, limited by barbed wire and ditches. And some cows of the Frisian race. However, this picture was taken at more than ten thousand kilometers distance from The Netherlands. This picture was taken in the southernmost part of Santa Catarina Island, at about thirty kilometers from the city of Florianópolis. That day, during the autumn season, the temperature exceeded the thirty degrees limit. We indeed observed some cows there, but by chance they all were absent in this picture.

In Brazil, on 20 November, special attention is paid on the awareness of fellow citizens of African descent. This day is called Dia Nacional da Consciência Negra. The day was not chosen randomly, but refers to the death of Zumbi dos Palmares, in 1695, an important historical figure in the slave resistance against the Portuguese rulers. In many Brazilian cities, 20 November is an official holiday. However, it is not the case in Belo Horizonte. Therefore, this day was celebrated on the following Saturday only. There was a so-called cortejo: a parade with much percussion and folklore, in which Zumbi and the African slaves and their descendants are honored. The little boy in the picture also participated in this long parade. He proudly shows that he knows how to play his little drum.